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Get A Book — Mine, For Instance

The purpose of this blog is to convince you that you need to get a good book. Coincidentally, I happen to have a book signing scheduled on Saturday, March 19, at BenLee’s Cafe in downtown Worthington,...

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It’s Time To Suck In That Gut And Get Outdoors

When you get to a certain age, it becomes really difficult to call yourself an athlete. In my case the balding scalp and the sagging gut is a dead giveaway. I’m a grandpa six times over, and I’m...

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Movie Claims God Is Surely Alive, And Liberty Is Non-negotiable

The Wolters took a trip to Mankato on Saturday and watched a movie called “God is Not Dead 2.” There is a moment near the beginning when Pat Boone, who plays the elderly father of the film’s main...

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Keep On A’ Rockin’ Me, Baby

I see that Steve Miller has finally been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. I still listen to some of his classics: “Jet Airliner,” “Rock n Me,” “The Joker,” etcetera, etcetera. It brings...

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A Step Back In Time Through Dad’s Old Newspapers

My dad, who passed away in 1990, liked to save newspaper clippings. He compiled a scrapbook of mostly old newspaper stories and entitled it, “Sports News of the Family,” which consisted mostly of the...

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ESPN’s Soviet-style Operating Principle

Ok, so I was watching ESPN’s re-broadcast of the 30 For 30 documentary on the Boston Red Sox’ incredible 2004 ALCS comeback against the New York Yankees and looking forward to re-living the series’...

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What’s Your Hurry, Friend?

For a second there, I thought I might write my blog today about the reported Republican overtures made to Dallas Mavericks owner and reality TV star Mark Cuban to run as a third-party candidate against...

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For Old Ballplayer, It Was About Time

When I looked at the photo of 80-year-old Earl Robinette seated by himself in the dugout of Comerica Park, where the Detroit Tigers play, I felt several emotions. I had to laugh because the plump old...

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Summertime, And The Livin’ Is Sleepy

The dog days have arrived for me, I think, which means that unless I have something I must do, I tend to spend a little too much time nodding off in my easy chair these days. It’s even affecting my...

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The Delightful And Curious Essays Of Lew Hudson

When I first arrived at the Daily Globe in the winter of 1983 as a young sports writer with a full head of hair, one of my co-workers was regional editor Lew Hudson. This was at a time, of course, when...

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Lord, I Was Born A Ramblin’ Man

For someone who’s never been known as a roustabout, I certainly seem to do my share of moving about. The Mrs. and I have been happy as clams in our Worthington home after moving back here from Mankato...

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Learning To Lose At Apples To Apples

People tell me I’m a competitive person, but in my defense I assert that I’m only competitive in things that matter. Like sports. If the activity is something like, say, the “Apples to Apples” party...

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Aging Gracefully Takes Time

When I graduated from high school, I suddenly became aware that I was becoming an adult. When I got married, I realized I’d just graduated again to the next “phase” of my existence. Then came...

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Maybe Tebow Can Save The Twins (Or Not)

I don’t begrudge people from pursuing their dreams, no matter who they are. My own father, a couple of years before he was drafted into the Army after the Pearl Harbor attack, was already 24 years old...

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Seventh Heaven

For this blog, I was encouraged to write about my belated return to fast-pitch softball. Last week, I emerged from a four-year retirement to participate with twentysomethings and thirtysomethings in...

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The NFL’s On-Field Statements Are The Ones I Prefer

The start of any new NFL year is a plethora of new possibilities and surprises, and the 2016 campaign — with special thanks to the Minnesota Vikings — seems especially intriguing with only a few days...

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The Computer Gaming Wasteland

I walked into Best Buy in Sioux Falls to look at televisions. I wanted to find a larger screen for my man cave. My experiences shopping at electronics stores are very different from what they used to...

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What Kind Of Country Do You Want?

We are tasked in November to choose a new president. Such a heavy responsibility forces us to consider an age-old question that — nearly 250 years since this republic was first cobbled together — still...

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A Pleased Pea In A Little Pod

If you’re like me … No, if you’re like most people, I think, every so often you question yourself about whether you’re handling your own life the way it ought to be handled. If you’re a mature person,...

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“Wherein We Stand” Book Event Set For Nov. 18

I don’t know exactly why I decided to write my latest book about a church and the people who congregate in it. I think the idea had something to do with how American culture has shifted. Increasingly,...

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